About Saint Martin of Tours · Hazlehurst, Mississippi
St. Martin of Tours is a small Catholic mission parish in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, in the rolling piney woods of Copiah County about 45 minutes south of Jackson. It operates as a mission of nearby St. John Parish in Crystal Springs, sharing the same pastor, office, mailing address (P.O. Box 167, Crystal Springs, MS 39059), and phone line. The community gathers at 113 East Conway Street for Sunday Mass in both English and Spanish, and it is one of the oldest Catholic presences in south Mississippi, dating its origins to 1881. Bilingual liturgies, Eucharistic adoration on the first Thursday of the month, and a tightly-knit, mission-sized congregation are the hallmarks of parish life.
- Established
- 1881
- Patron
- Saint Martin of Tours
- Rector
- Reverend Vijaya Manohar Reddy Thanugundla (Sacramental Minister)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Jackson
Why belong here
St. Martin of Tours offers a warm, bilingual Catholic home in Copiah County, with Sunday Mass in English at 8:00 AM and in Spanish at 1:00 PM, plus a weekday Mass on Thursdays that includes Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction on the first Thursday of every month. As a small mission linked to St. John Parish in Crystal Springs, it is the kind of place where every face is known, and where English- and Spanish-speaking families worship side-by-side. Newcomers and travelers from US-51 will find easy directions and a friendly welcome.
Mass times at Saint Martin of Tours
Weekly Mass schedule
Adoration times
- First Thursday of the month, 6:00 PM (English) — Adoration & Benediction
- First Thursday of the month, 7:00 PM (Spanish) — Adoration & Benediction
About St. Martin of Tours
St. Martin of Tours is a Catholic mission parish in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, in Copiah County. It belongs to the Diocese of Jackson and is administered as a mission of St. John Parish in Crystal Springs, with which it shares clergy, office, mailing address, and phone line. The parish is named for the fourth-century bishop of Tours, a famous patron of the poor, and its faith community dates back to 1881.
- Type: Mission (of St. John Parish, Crystal Springs)
- Diocese: Diocese of Jackson
- Named after Saint Martin of Tours (feast day November 11)
- Community established 1881
Parish History
The Catholic community at Hazlehurst was formally established in 1881, giving St. Martin of Tours more than 140 years of continuous Catholic witness in south Mississippi. As a mission rather than an independent parish, it has historically been served from neighboring St. John Parish in Crystal Springs. In February 2022, the Diocese of Jackson appointed Rev. Kevin Slattery as sacramental minister for St. John Parish and its mission St. Martin in Hazlehurst; sacramental ministry today is provided by Rev. Vijaya Manohar Reddy Thanugundla.
- 1881 — Catholic community established in Hazlehurst
- Long served as a mission of St. John Parish, Crystal Springs
- February 1, 2022 — Rev. Kevin Slattery appointed sacramental minister for St. John Parish and mission St. Martin
- Current sacramental minister: Rev. Vijaya Manohar Reddy Thanugundla
Clergy & Staff
As a mission parish, St. Martin of Tours shares its pastoral team with St. John Parish in Crystal Springs. The current sacramental minister is Rev. Vijaya Manohar Reddy Thanugundla, and the lay ecclesial minister for the cluster is Janice Stansell.
- Sacramental Minister: Reverend Vijaya Manohar Reddy Thanugundla
- Lay Ecclesial Minister: Janice Stansell
- Parish cluster: St. John (Crystal Springs) and St. Martin of Tours (Hazlehurst)
Bilingual Catholic Life
St. Martin of Tours is a genuinely bilingual parish. Every Sunday and every Thursday, Mass is offered in both English and Spanish, allowing English- and Spanish-speaking Catholics of Copiah County to worship together. The community is also known for celebrating major Hispanic-Catholic feasts such as Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12.
- Sunday Mass in English and Spanish
- Thursday Mass in English and Spanish
- Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration (December 12)
- Shared parish life across language communities
Visit & Contact
The mission is located in downtown Hazlehurst on the northwest corner of Haley Street and Conway Street. Travelers coming from US-51 should turn east onto Gallatin Street at the downtown traffic signal, then turn left (north) onto North Haley Street at the end of Gallatin. The parish shares its office, mailing address, and phone line with St. John Parish in Crystal Springs.
- Address: 113 E. Conway Street, Hazlehurst, MS 39083
- Mailing: P.O. Box 167, Crystal Springs, MS 39059-0167
- Phone: 601-892-1717
- Fax: 601-892-0746
- Email: [email protected]
- From US-51: east on Gallatin Street, then north on North Haley Street
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Reverend Kevin Slatteryeffective February 1, 2022
Appointed sacramental minister for St. John Parish, Crystal Springs and its mission St. Martin in Hazlehurst, per Mississippi Catholic pastoral assignments.